How much you earn in unemployment benefits depends on how much you earned during the preceding 52 weeks of employment. While you can work part-time and earn income while collecting unemployment, this income can reduce your unemployment benefit. Any Supplemental Security Income your child receives should not affect your unemployment benefits, since this income is technically not yours.

Supplemental Security Income

The federal government, through the Social Security Administration (SSA), provides SSI benefits to elderly, blind and disabled adults, and to blind and disabled children. Children who are born blind or disabled qualify for benefits from the day they are born until the day they turn 18 or no longer qualify to receive benefits, whichever comes first. As long as a child remains in school full-time, the SSA will provide SSI benefits until they turn 22. Full-time, for example, can include taking a non-correspondence course that lasts for at least 13 weeks or going to school for at least 20 hours a week.

Unemployment and Earned Income

Most states let you earn some income without affecting your unemployment benefits. How much you can earn and still qualify to receive unemployment benefits varies by state. For example, in Massachusetts, you can earn one-third of your weekly unemployment benefit without affecting your benefit amount. If you collect $600 a week in unemployment, the first $200 of any income you earn each week will not affect your $600 benefit. Earn more than $200, and the state deducts the excess from your weekly benefit.

Social Security and Unemployment

If you receive Social Security benefits, any unemployment you receive will not affect the amount of your benefit. However, how much you collect in Social Security can affect your unemployment benefit, depending on your state. Rick McHugh, a staff attorney at the National Employment Law Project in Ann Arbor, Michigan, told AARP in 2012 that only four states count your Social Security benefit as income when determining your unemployment benefit. These states are Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota and South Dakota, though this is not an across-the-board rule in Minnesota, according to McHugh.

SSI and Unemployment

Since most states do not consider Social Security earned income, the amount your child receives in SSI will likely not affect your unemployment benefits. When you file your initial unemployment claim, ask the state agent who helps you how your child’s SSI will affect your benefits – if it's even applicable. However, what you earn in unemployment can affect how much SSI your child receives. The Social Security Administration factors in your income when determining your child’s SSI benefit. It considers unemployment income to be unearned income. In a one-parent house with one qualifying child, you can earn $1,816 in unemployment without affecting how much SSI your child receives.

About the Author

William Henderson has been writing for newspapers, magazines and journals for more than 15 years. He served as editor of the "New England Blade" and is a former contributor to "The Advocate." His work has also appeared on The Good Men Project, Life By Me and The Huffington Post.